Bayern Munich's Unwieldy Expectations Create a Tough Benchmark for Pep Guardiola

Many fans of Bayern Munich think that a Champions League title is the only way that Pep Guardiola can go out and be considered a success. Even though there are unfair expectations, the pressure is clearly on Guardiola in the last few months of his tenure with one of Europe’s biggest clubs. That pressure, along with the heightened expectations and impending transition, creates a tricky situation that will play out over the second half of the 2015-16 Bundesliga season.

Bayern has not run away with the Bundesliga, but they could still clinch the league in March. Winning the league early has been seen as a catalyst to not taking the top spot in the Champions League. The league was not competitive enough and players were rotated to get them some rest rather than continuing to play with regularity. Resting players reduces their risk of injury, but it may not help them once they get to the semifinals of the Champions League. The other team’s players do not get to rest and that can help in the flow of the game.

Of course many fans want to see a treble, which is the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and the Champions League. Bayern won the DFB Pokal in Guardiola’s first year. They will face tough competition in the semifinals assuming they get past Bochum in a few weeks. The semifinals do not take place until April, so if the team is still alive in the Champions League they may not prioritize the Pokal any longer.

Guardiola also replaced a Bayern legend, Jupp Heynckes. Heynckes completed the treble in his final year as a coach with what Karl-Heinz Rummenigge deemed to be one of the best Bayern squads ever. It was Heynckes’ third stint with Bayern and his triumph set a bar for any manager that followed.

The Bayern players have said they want to win the treble for Guardiola. However, that should not be the benchmark from which Guardiola’s tenure is judged. The expectations from outside of the club have ignored Guardiola’s ability to buy good players at a reasonable rate, manage injuries or add new life to players already with Bayern.

Bayern can still win the Champions League trophy, but Guardiola’s legacy in Bavaria should not hinge on one feat. Bayern fans always expect Europe’s biggest crown, but many top managers fail to snatch the European Champion Clubs’ Cup.